In Liz we Truss?

After months of internal political battling, Liz Truss has seen off competition from Rishi Sunak to become the UK’s fourth Prime Minister in seven years. She takes control of a country crippled in economic crisis, divided in public opinion, and dragged into international conflict.

Photo: chinaglobalsouth.com.

By: Sam Feierabend.

Truss’ promotion from Foreign Secretary to the hotseat in Number 10 Downing Street is the culmination of a political career that surprisingly saw her start as President of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats. Her values would stand close to that of the ‘liberals’ even after defecting to the Conservative Party in 1996. Her work and ideas focus on rigorous academic standards in all schools, including writing for a liberal think tank arguing for an end to bias against serious subjects in schools so social mobility can be improved, while also supporting the legalisation of cannabis and the abolition of the monarchy – some may describe as radical policies. She became an MP in 2010 for South West Norfolk, being part of ‘The A List’ of Conservative MP’s set up by David Cameron at the time of his General Election victory.

In 2014, Truss was appointed as the Environment Secretary during a cabinet reshuffle. Her declarations that stated she fully believed climate change was happening were contradicted somewhat by her decision to cut taxpayer subsidies for solar panels on agricultural land, as her view was that the land could be used better to grow crops. This came despite evidence that crops could still be grown underneath the panels, they just had to be raised above ground level.

Her appointment as Justice Secretary under Theresa May’s government was met with staunch controversy, with many claiming she lacked the legal expertise to challenge the Prime Minister when needed. Some hap-handed comments about being unable to criticise the media led to a move to Chief Secretary of the Treasury, seen as a demotion by many. In this job she criticised Conservative calls to raise taxes, stating that ‘It is not macho to demand more money’. She initially intended to stand in the 2019 Conservative Leadership Election, but withdrew to endorse Boris Johnson instead.

Under the Johnson government, Truss was appointed International Trade Secretary, gaining the promotion for advising Johnson’s economic policy which saw her craft the plans to cut taxes of those earning over £50,000. As International Trade Secretary, she made history by agreeing a ‘tariff-free’ trade deal with Japan; the first of its kind for the UK out of the European Union. She herself hailed it as an ‘historic moment’, with the deal being a copy of the existing deal between the EU and Japan. Further deals with Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein followed. All this coming after her public support for the remain campaign at the time of the 2016 EU Referendum.

In 2021, Truss was appointed as the new Foreign Secretary, becoming only the second woman to hold the position. She holds the belief that the UK would benefit from a closer trading relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar, aiming to benefit from their stock of natural resources while also keeping tabs on nuclear development in Iran. However, her comments on foreign relations, especially surrounding China’s Pacific military actions, has led some Asian leaders to call her comments ‘demented’.

In the midst of dealing with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Truss has been surprisingly tough in her words, promising to send Russia’s economy ‘back to the Soviet era’, working with allies to ensure that the lack of Russian gas would not affect the West’s economy. This has not happened yet, with most of Europe being plunged into a cost of living crisis, one of Truss’ first hurdles as Prime Minister.

She announced her leadership bid in early July, promising to give immediate help to the cost of living crisis. This help has been announced as a cap on the average household bill at £2,500, undoubtedly helpful in the short run but the bill for this move is £10 billion and will hit the taxpayer inevitably in the future. She said she would also cancel a proposed rise in corporation tax and reverse the recent increase in national insurance rates, also refusing to implement a windfall tax on energy companies despite their billions of pounds worth of profit.

The issue for the public will be, as with many politicians, whether to believe what Liz Truss says. In the space of 30 years in politics, she has supported most political ideologies that exist. Perhaps this will help the Conservatives over time, with a general election expected in the near future, as her fogged stance on issues may help to pull in voters in the political wilderness who do not know where to place their loyalty. A more centrist Labour under Keir Starmer means that any policies that Truss implements that can be seen as right-wing puts her at danger of losing the large swathes of voters who left Labour to back Conservative in 2019. Her initial policy points that have won her the PM job is just red meat to Conservative voters, ones they want to hear and have kept them on side for decade upon decade. She will be the third female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, following on from Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. Her every action will undoubtedly be compared to those two.

Ultimately, Liz Truss is walking into a poisoned chalice of a job, dogged by economic crisis, international tension, and potential public unrest. After 12 years in power, this feels like the last roll of the dice for the Conservatives, with polls suggesting that it is an uphill battle to regain power with current public opinion. How she responds to the unprecedented challenges she faces, will define her term in charge, one in which if successful, could turn the public on her side.